QINGDAO -- Olympic champion Sun Yang and other Chinese swimming stars will give their best at the Chinese National Swimming Championships to be held here from March 24-31 in order to qualify for the 2019 FINA Swimming World Championships in South Korea.

According to Jiang Wenshen, deputy director of Qingdao sports bureau, swimmers are still registering for the national championships, and it is estimated that more than 1,100 swimmers, coaches, referees and officials will participate.

The game serves as an important qualifier for the world championships to be held in Gwangju, South Korea in July. Triple Olympic champion Sun Yang, Olympic silver medalist Xu Jiayu, former world champion Fu Yuanhui and other swimming stars will take part in the race, Jiang said.

There are 42 events to be held during the championships, and 10 of them are newly added this year, including 50-meter butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke for both men and women.

Besides the national championships, many Chinese swimming stars also confirmed their participation in the three-leg competition of the new FINA Champions Swim Series, taking place on April 27-28 in Guangzhou, May 11-12 in Budapest, Hungary and May 31-June 1 in Indianapolis, the United States.